Machine for operating upon sheet material



Sept. 8, 1936- M. H. BALLARD 2,053,313

" MACHINE FOR OPERATING UPON SHEET MATERIAL Original Filed Jun 29, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig. 1.

' AA/EA/TUFL MM 144 fiaflm/ 12 z p 1936- M. H. BALLARD 2,053,313

MACHINE FOR OPERATING UPON SHEET MATERIAL Original Filed June 29, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig 2.

Sept 8, 1936- M. H. BALLARD 2,053,313

MACHINE FOR OPERATING UPON SHEET MATERIAL Original Filed June 29, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Sept. 8, 1936- M. H. BALLARD 2,053,313

- MACHINE FOR OPERATING UPON SHEET MATERIAL Original Filed June 29, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 m Fig 4L.

Wi/EA/TUR ?;gg Mia 1 .49%

hood of a die becoming stuck in the block after a cutting operation. In view of this, also, considerable economy is effected in the use of dies, it being unnecessary to sharpen the edges of a die as frequently as would be the case if the die were forced deeply into the block. Likewise, since it is unnecessary to force a die deeply into the block to produce the desired results, the machine can be operated economically with regard to power used and the frame of the machine is subjected to less strain and vibration.

Other objects and features of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and will be pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a machine constituting one embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the machine with certain parts thereof shown in cross section;

Fig. 3 is a cross section taken along line IIIIII of Fig. 2 illustrating mechanism for adjusting the height of the bed; and

Figs. 4, 5, 6, and '7 are diagrammatic views illustrating the operation of the presser member and cutting bed.

As illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the machine comprises a C-shap-ed frame It upon one side of which is slidably mounted a hollow upright post l2 to which is secured a presser member or arm [4 arranged for cooperation with a second presser member, in the form of a cutting bed l5 mounted upon the opposite side of the frame, to apply pressure upon the bed. As is customary in machines of this type, the post I2 is movable angularly about its axis so that the presser arm M secured thereto can be moved over the bed 16 about the axis of the post, for example, into operative position relatively to a freely movable cutting die located upon the work. The post is arranged to be reciprocated vertically by a connecting rod !8 operatively connected to an eccentric 2| upon a rotary shaft 20 which is controlled by a one-revolution clutch 22 adapted to cause engagement of the shaft 29 with a flywheel 24. Reciprocation of the post l2 results in movement of the presser arm l4 toward and then away from the bed in a pressure-applying operation effective to force the die through the work to produce a blank.

The presser arm M comprises an integral casting located substantially entirely upon one side of the post I 2 and secured thereto by clamping members 26. The arm extends freely over the central portions of the frame Ill and is of such length that it can be swung into a position in which its fiat striking surface 28 overlies any desired portion of the cutting bed. The arm is so designed that its effective cross-section increases from its free end to a point near the axis of the post with the result that the stiffness of the arm under load increases as the point of application of the load upon the striking face 28 is brought closer to the axis of the post l2. Consequently, the maximum deflection of the arm under a given load upon the striking face 28 occurs when the load is applied to the extreme outer end of the arm, and the deflection is practically negligible when the same load is applied to the striking face near the axis of the post.

The body portion of the bed l6 comprises a casting having a flat cutting-block support 35 mounted upon a hollow column 32 which is slidably positioned in an enlarged portion 34 of the frame ID. The frame portion 34 is provided with laterally extending ears 36 within which are located bushings 38 which support screw-shafts 40 extending upwardly substantially parallel to the axis of the column 32 and equally spaced laterally thereof. The upper portion of each of the shafts 40 is screw-threaded at 42 and engages a nut 44 secured by bolts 45 in an opening 46 in the under side of the bed l6, thereby supporting the bed in position above the frame. The support 30 carries a wooden cutting block 41 substantially co-extensive therewith and which is suitably secured thereto by bolts 38 (Fig. 1) which engage clamping irons 50 of the block. The forward portions of the bed l6 including the block 47 are located close to the plane of the axes of the screw-shafts 40, but the rearward portions of the bed extend freely toward the axis of the post !2 and overhang the central portions of the frame l0. Thus it will be seen that the forward portions of the bed are substantially rigidly supported against deflection during pressure-applying operations whereas the rearward or overhanging portions of the bed are less rigidly supported and are subject to deflection in a downward direction under pressure applied by the presser arm 14. The bed I3 is provided with stiffening ribs 52 which extend from the column 32 diagonally across the under side of the support 39 to the corners of the bed, and other ribs 54 (Fig. 1) extending from the ribs 52 toward the sides of the block. The ribs 52 and 54 are so constructed and arranged that the freely extending portion of the bed is stiffened substantially to an equal extent at points equidistant from the axis of the post I2, the effective cross-section of the bed increasing in thickness from the side of the bed nearest 'to the post to a maximum in the vicinity of the column 32. The bed is sodesigned relatively to the presser arm l4 that under load the bed remains substantially rigid when the yield of the arm is a maximum and yields increasingly as the arm stiffens, with the result that for a given stroke of the presser arm the pressure applied, for example, to a die supported on the cutting block 41 will be substantially constant for any position of the die upon the bed. For example, when a die is positioned upon the block 4! near the axis of the supporting column 32 and the presser arm is brought into position in which it overlaps the die and bed and is reciprocated, the arm is engaged near its outer end and, under load, is subjected substantially to its maximum deflection whereas the bed I6 remains substantially rigid. On the other hand, if a die is placed on the cutting block adjacent to its inner edge, the bed l6, under load, is subjected to substantially its maximum deflection whereas the presser arm I4 is engaged near the axis of the post I2 and consequently is subject to slight deflection only. Thus, for various positions of a die along the cutting bed at different distances from the axis of the post, the deflectio-ns under forces applied to the presser arm and bed during operation of the machine tend to balance each other, that is, the total displacement of the members engaging opposite sides of the die tends to remain constant. Furthcrmore, if a die is successively located on the cutting block at different points equidistant from the axis of the post, in which positions the die will be engaged by the same portion of the presser arm, the successive deflections of the bed and arm will be substantially the same. Consequently, the sum of the deflections of the portions of the arm and bed engaging the die will be substgg iellr the same fe any pe itieh Q? the di 11 he cu i l e the pressure ens-l d t 1 14 QWW QQP Y the 595 Won 9 th die e 1 ehtti leek tin the efo e he ete htieh th same 9 all positi s 9 t d o t e .ee f r e git eh esitieh 9 the Pee he a ieele h heme ..f...e e ediuehhe he bee hi and shthi hleeh h ish ise ef t he e '9 e 4 rh e depth o g t e Peneon of the d to t e block can be regulated. h 9f h ee w i it er 56 (F e e hee he 'and massage/fa which are .seehieq i9 e herheh e a t e9 ehehe d e ietehe hr hens-whe The shaft 6i) extends through openings 64 in th 'fr'aine'porti n 4 and t ee hh the eleie c' rice for' the s rough slots $6 in the 5's being elongated to rere e 'ih' omm' i fifdbwr with the bed. Rctation of gel 62in a counterclockw se direc- "a raising of the bed and'the'cutk dv'ic'e liersa.

the "ahfdling of sheet material,

cr d with "a". roughts osimebetween the post [2 and stagin portion of the bed "'iia c earan'ce so that a mesmert, h of material'can'be positio ned'inthe tioiigh' out" of the way of the operator who may tefipqn abortion of the material which is "the; in'rirdges'of th''block mm to ts u ,1; surface; the material being conveniently "'eld imposition by a clamping "device such as rive shaft '20 is arranged to be operai n e rese t e win or the operator to e '24 (Figs. 1 and 2') driven by amotor rted on the frame; The operative convveen "the shaft and flywheel comevoliition clutch 22ffor example, jd; the t illustrated in Unitedstates Letters at''nt 1,01'l,90 3,'"granted'DecemberlQI 1911, ufiori'an ncation filed in the name of Arthur Batesf 'Ilie clutch s operatedhy means of a handle 14 mountedon' the presser" arm l4"an'd arranged to engage a lever 16 which has a forked end" 18' making engagement with a link 80 which is pivoted at 82 on the frame and has a rearwardly extending portion 84 to which is connected a link 86. The link 86 at its lower end is pivotally connected to a link 88 loosely carried on a stud 90 which in turn, carries a lever 92 which is operable to control the engagement of the clutch and flywheel in response to operation of the handle 14.

The operation of the various parts of the machine will be clear from the foregoing description. The operator places sheet material such as leather upon the cutting block 41 forming the upper part of the bed l6 and positions a die upon the work with the cutting edges of the die in contact with the work. The presser arm I4 is then swung about the axis of the post l2 until the striking face 28 of the arm is positioned over the die. The starting handle I4 is then depressed resulting in the engagement of the flywheel 24 with the shaft 20, thus causing a reciprocation of the post and presser member thereby to force the die through the work and into the cutting block. The operation of the presser arm I4 and the cutting bed I6 is illustrated in further detail by Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7. These figures are diagrammatic only and very greatly ehes eheie th eei e of t e ariou pa s h M1 ihe i s- 4. nd 6 nd cat th e ati e hesiiiehe f t Pr se am Hi, the eu tin h el l e 24 d e 8 a t e i t in the cycle of operations of the presser member in which the str ki feee 2. o e P es er member is n its lowermost pgsition. In these figures the dotted l he indicate b e n e ehe e e' sf ee e r sent the position of the presser member l4 upon its initial engagement with the die in each case. Reference characters 48 in Figs. 4 and 5 indieete the o on wh he presser m m e would assume at the end of its stroke if the arm w r not def cte due to t nc r he d to the movement of the member. Reference haracters lllfl indicate the normal position of the cu n bed l5 wh n it i o e e under leed- Referenc ch act 1 n is 5 d 6 indicate the position of the cutting bed which illustrated in Fig. 4 it will be observed that the die 94 has been placed upon the cutting block in the vicinity of the axis of the column 32 in which case the resulting deflection .Qf: the he l so sma l tha it n be e lecte At the same time the presser arm i4 is engaged by the die close to its outer end in which case the amount of deflection of the arm represented by a is substantially at a maximum. This re- In the case the die a considerable distance inwardly of its n ha b en flected b an amo nt 9 The deflections referred' to are substantially equal and eeueh t e di ha ate th h of the die. In Fig.6 the die has been placed on the cutting block near its inner edge portion, that is', near the axis of the post, and lga'd'the be'clhas been deflec t ed by a still grea er amount b but, since the dieis engaged by'the presser'arm quite 'close'to the axis of the post, the deflection of the arm is practically negligible'fIn viewof'the fact that the bed was deflected substantially to its maximum "amount whereas the arm was not appreciably deflected, the penetration of the die will be slightly greater on the portion thereof away from the axis of the post. As illustrated by Fig. '7, letters 0, d and 6 indicate the approximate position of the die 94 corresponding respectively to its positions shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6, in which the die is shown in various positions along the central line of the block which passes through the axis of the post. The line I04 represents the central line of the presser arm l4 when it is swung laterally over the block to an angle of about 30 relatively to the central line of the block. If the die were placed successively at points 0, d, and e, which are located along the line I64 at the same distances from the axis of the post respectively as the points 0, d, and e, the effect due to deflections of the arm and bed will be substantially the same as illustrated in Figs. 4, 5, and 6. For example, the deflection of the arm when the die is positioned at 0' will be substantially the same as that when the die is positioned at 0. Since the point 0 is located a greater distance from the axis of the column 32 than the point 0, it might be supposed that the deflection it has taken as a, result of deflection under load. I

sults in the forcing of the die into the cutting I l .40 ting bl ck to the same extent throughout the of the bed would be substantially greater when the load is applied at c. This is not the case, however, for the reason that the reinforcing ribs 62 serve to stiffen the bed in directions extending angularly of the central line of the cutting block. As a result of this, the deflection of the bed is approximately the same along an arc which has the axis'of the post as a center, and, since a die positioned on the block anywhere along the arc engages the presser arm at the same point, the deflection of the arm will likewise be substantially the same with the result that the penetration of the die will be substantially uniform along said are. In view of all this, it should be apparent that the compensating deflections of the presser arm and bed produced when the die is placed in different positions anywhere on the cutting-block surface will result in substantially the same penetration of the die into the cutting block for a given initial position of the bed heightwise of the arm.

In adjusting the height of the presser arm I4 for a die of given height, the arm is adjusted heightwise of the block through operation of the handwheel 62 and its associated mechanism into such position that at the end of the stroke of the presser member the die will be forced into the block a slight distance, in practice, from onesixteenth to three-sixteenths of an inch. The presser arm will then be operative to perform cutting operations with the die in any position on the block and will be effective to perform such operations in .a uniform manner over the entire surface of the cutting block.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A machine for operating upon sheet material having a frame, and cantilever members constituting a presser member .and a cutting bed mounted upon the frame for relative movement heightwise of each other and for movement relatively to each other into overlapping position in which the members extend in opposite directions from their points of support, wherein the successive cross sections of said members are of decreasing area outwardly from their points of support through substantially their entire lengths and wherein the cross sections of adjacent portions of the members when the latterare in overlapping position are so related that the combined deflections of the members under a given load are substantially the same for applications of the load at different points along the lengths of the members.

2. A clicking machine comprising a frame, a cutting bed, means for supporting the cutting bed on the frame comprising an upright member the axis of which is located near one side of the bed, the bed being so constructed that it extends from the upright member inwardly over a portion of the frame and out of contact therewith; a post slidably mounted in the frame, a presser arm secured to the post and having a free end arranged for movement across the cutting bed, and means for causing relative movement between-the presser arm and bed to produce a pressure applying operation upon work positioned upon the bed.

3. In a power driven clicking press a frame, a bed, a supporting column for the bed upstanding at the front side of the frame, the bed extending further rearwardly than forwardly from said column, to such extent that the center of the bed is rearward of the center of the column by at least ten percent of the width of the bed, whereby the bed tends to tilt yieldingly downward at its rear side under stress of operation, a presser swingable laterally over the bed, a supporting post for the presser at the rear side of the frame, and the presser extending forwardly therefrom with its free end overhanging the bed, whereby the presser tends to tilt yieldingly upward at its front side under stress of operation, and power driven mechanism for depressing and raising the presser in each operation.

4. A machine for operating upon sheet material comprising a frame, a bed, a member carried by the frame and located at one side of the bed to support the bed with a portion thereof extending over the frame andspaced therefrom, a presser member mounted upon the frame and having a freely extending portion movable laterally over the bed, and means for causing'relative movement of the bed and presser member to produce a pressure-applying operation upon material positioned between said portions.

MILTON H. BALLARD. 

